Purépecha Corn Brittle (Ponteduro)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal or heavy skillet
• •Heavy saucepan for piloncillo syrup
• •Wooden spoon
• •Rimmed sheet pan or marble slab

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the pan

   Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment or lightly oil a marble slab. Set out a second sheet of parchment and a rolling pin. Once the syrup is ready, it waits for nobody. Ponteduro hardens fast, and the cook who is still looking for a pan will lose the batch.

2. 2

   Toast the corn

   Heat a dry comal or heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the dried maíz pozolero in batches so the kernels sit in one layer. Toast, stirring and shaking the pan often, until the corn turns golden in spots, smells nutty, and a few kernels crack at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Do not burn it. Burned corn turns bitter, and piloncillo will not hide that mistake.

   Use dried corn for pozole, not canned hominy. Canned hominy is wet and soft. Ponteduro needs dry toasted corn that can stand up to hard syrup.
3. 3

   Build the syrup

   Put the chopped piloncillo, water, salt, and canela if using in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the piloncillo dissolves. Once it is liquid, stop stirring and let it boil steadily. Brush down any sugar crystals on the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush if you see them. The syrup should darken, thicken, and smell like cane, smoke, and caramel.

4. 4

   Cook to hard crack

   Cook the syrup to 300F, the hard-crack stage, then remove the canela. If you do not have a thermometer, drop a little syrup into a cup of cold water. It should harden immediately into threads that snap between your teeth, not bend. Add the lime juice and swirl the pan once. No me vengas con atajos. Soft syrup makes sticky corn, not ponteduro.

5. 5

   Bind the corn

   Immediately add the toasted corn to the syrup and stir with a sturdy wooden spoon until every kernel is coated. Work fast and carefully. The mixture will be heavy, glossy, and loud against the pan. That sound, corn scraping through thick piloncillo, is how you know you are close.

6. 6

   Shape the brittle

   Scrape the hot mixture onto the prepared pan. Cover with the second sheet of parchment and press or roll it into an even slab about 1/2 inch thick. For individual pieces, let it cool 3 to 4 minutes, then cut with an oiled knife while still warm. If it cools completely, break it by hand into rough pieces. Both ways are correct in Michoacán kitchens.

7. 7

   Cool and store

   Let the ponteduro cool completely until hard and glossy. Store in an airtight tin or glass jar with parchment between layers. Keep it away from humidity. Sugar pulls moisture from the air, and a damp kitchen will make the surface tacky. This candy should crack under the teeth. That is the point.

Chef Tips

• •Buy the corn from a Mexican mercado or a vendor who sells pozole corn by the kilo. Ask for maíz pozolero seco or cacahuazintle seco. If the vendor only has canned hominy, keep walking. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
• •Piloncillo matters here. Brown sugar makes a flatter candy with less depth. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •A candy thermometer helps, but Purépecha home cooks made this long before thermometers sat in drawers. The cold-water test is reliable if you pay attention: bend means keep cooking, snap means stop.
• •Do not add peanuts, sesame, or pumpkin seeds to this version unless your family does. Those are fine candies, but this one is about toasted corn and piloncillo. Cada estado, su propia cocina.

Advance Preparation

• •The corn can be toasted one day ahead and stored in a dry covered bowl.
• •Ponteduro keeps for 2 weeks in an airtight tin in a dry place. Do not refrigerate it, the humidity ruins the crack.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 46g)